Judge rules that Paterson’s Goow should not have to pay city $500,000 for legal fees

By JOE MALINCONICO

Paterson Press

PATERSON – Former councilman Aslon Goow Sr. is off the hook for half a million dollars’ worth of legal fees that his unsuccessful civil rights lawsuit cost the city.

Paterson Press file photo

Aslon Goow Sr.

United States District Court Judge Jose Linares on June 12 ruled against Paterson’s bid to force Goow to pay the fees rung up by the three private law firms that represented the city and various officials in the case. Linares said the city failed to prove that Goow’s case had been frivolous, the standard that had to be met for Paterson to be able to recoup the fees from the former official.

“I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Goow, who finished third among the eight candidates who ran for mayor in May. “There was nothing frivolous about my charges against the city.”

Goow had accused former police Chief James Wittig, former mayor and current mayor-elect Jose “Joey” Torres and other municipal officials of violating his rights by conducting an Internal Affairs investigation against him after he engaged in a chase to try to catch a crime suspect.

The police department eventually issued Goow a speeding summons, partly based on video footage from a fast-food restaurant on Spruce Street, and examined the details of decades-old criminal charges against Goow that had been expunged, according to court documents.

Goow lost the case in March and the city quickly filed legal motions seeking to force him to pay the lawyers’ bills.

“This case made a mockery of expunged records,” said Goow, citing the fact that details of what were supposed to be sealed records found their way into court documents that were available to the public.

Mayor Jeffery Jones could not be reached for comment regarding Linares’ ruling.

Judge rules that Paterson’s Goow should not have to pay city $500,000 for legal fees

PATERSON – Former councilman Aslon Goow Sr. is off the hook for half a million dollars’ worth of legal fees that his unsuccessful civil rights lawsuit cost the city.

United States District Court Judge Jose Linares on June 12 ruled against Paterson’s bid to force Goow to pay the fees rung up by the three private law firms that represented the city and various officials in the case. Linares said the city failed to prove that Goow’s case had been frivolous, the standard that had to be met for Paterson to be able to recoup the fees from the former official.

“I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Goow, who finished third among the eight candidates who ran for mayor in May. “There was nothing frivolous about my charges against the city.”

Goow had accused former police Chief James Wittig, former mayor and current mayor-elect Jose “Joey” Torres and other municipal officials of violating his rights by conducting an Internal Affairs investigation against him after he engaged in a chase to try to catch a crime suspect.

The police department eventually issued Goow a speeding summons, partly based on video footage from a fast-food restaurant on Spruce Street, and examined the details of decades-old criminal charges against Goow that had been expunged, according to court documents.

Goow lost the case in March and the city quickly filed legal motions seeking to force him to pay the lawyers’ bills.

“This case made a mockery of expunged records,” said Goow, citing the fact that details of what were supposed to be sealed records found their way into court documents that were available to the public.

Mayor Jeffery Jones could not be reached for comment regarding Linares’ ruling.